慶風堂 (けいふうどう) カステラ

 Picture of Keifuudo Japanese Kasutera

Japanese Label of Keifuudo Brand of Kasutera

Keifuudou Castella

“Baked Wheat Cake” 

 

To my great delight, my eyes spotted this in the refrigerated section of HK Super. The English translation of the label on the back says it’s “Baked Wheat Cake.” Huh? It’s KASUTERA — Castella cake! Six slices for $3.99. The wrapper in the picture looks like that because I tore it open to get at those six slices. Next time, I’ll take a picture before stuffing my face.

The Japanese label declares it a 洋菓子 (ようがし) or yōgashi, a Western-style sweet goodie, as opposed to 和菓子 or wagashi, a Japanese sweet thing.  Castella is the Iberian sponge cake introduced by the Portuguese to Nagasaki in the 16th century.

NUTRITION FACTS

Serving Size: 1.94 ounces (55 grams). Servings per Pack: 3 

Calories per Serving: 170.  Total Fat 2 grams. No Trans Fat

90 milligrams of of cholesterol (30% of DV!)

Total Carbohydrates: 34 grams.No fiber, no sugar. 

The Japanese label says 303 kcal per 100 grams. 

INGREDIENTS: egg, sugar, wheat flour, corn syrup, honey, sorbitol

Americans used to cloyingly sweet pastries won’t likely be satisfied by this, which exemplifies the subtlety of Japanese taste. If you want sweeter castella, try the Korean version called kastera. It’s more like sponge cake. 

Keifuudo Castella is is distributed in the United States by Nishimoto Trading Co. It is a Product of Japan made in Matsusaka City in Mie Prefecture (三重県松阪市).  Matsusaka, sometimes called Matsuzaka, is on the island of Honshū ~